Excessive hair: how can you remove the excess hair?

Hairiness is a cluster of hairs on a defined area of the body (armpits, torso, bikini line...). The hair is a threadlike element that is very rich in proteins called keratin. The thickness and location of the hair depend partly on the androgenic hormones and partly on hereditary factors. Melanin is responsible for the colour of the hair while keratins determine its consistency.

Hair density varies throughout your life. Indeed, depending on the hair-growth cycle, the hair is more or less developed on the different areas of the body. Throughout your life, you will have around 20 to 30 hair-growth cycles. Each cycle consists of three distinct phases:

• The anagen phase: hair undergoes a growth period and increases in length by 1 cm per month. The hair, which is full of melanin, is connected to the root, the bulb. This phase lasts around 4 to 6 years for women and 2 to 4 years for men
• The catagen phase: hair stops growing and the hair follicle is no longer active. This phase lasts around 3 weeks
• The telogen phase: hair falls out and is replaced by new hairs. This phase lasts around 1 to 3 months

However, the hair-growth cycle is not the same over the whole body. On certain areas, the hair might grow darker and thicker, while others might only have hair that resembles fine down.

What are the causes of excessive hairiness?

Excessive hairiness in men or women can have many causes:

• Hereditary: women or men of Mediterranean origin with black hair have a greater degree of hairiness.
• Pathological: abnormal hairiness can be caused by certain conditions such as for people with hirsutism or hypertrichosis
• Hormonal: increased testosterone levels can cause excessive hairiness in men or women

Excessive hair: how can you get rid of it once and for all?

People suffering from excessive hairiness have many solutions available to them such as shaving, waxing or even hair-removal creams. These are methods that are more or less effective as they create smooth, hairless skin for a short period of time but some people want to be free of the chore of removing hair with whatever method they use.

For them, laser hair removal by a specialist doctor can give excellent results. Laser hair removal enables them to remove hair on different parts of their body with a semi-permanent effect.